Massachusetts · Performance incentive · Deep-stack program
Massachusetts SMART Program
Pays residential solar owners in Massachusetts based on actual output -- see the rate, eligibility, and how it changes payback below.
- $0.05-$0.30/kWh
- stated benefit
- Residential
- eligible customers
- 9.2 yr
- Massachusetts baseline payback
- 4
- other Massachusetts programs
Deep-stack program · late directory
Massachusetts runs a 5-program DSIRE stack; this performance incentive is one layer on a 9.2-year modeled baseline, not the whole story.
- Stack5 programs
- In-state #4/4
- Type #3/8
- Baseline9.2 yr
In-state directory place #4 of 4 (late alphabet). National performance incentive directory #3 of 8. Amounts and eligibility change; verify with the official program page before relying on a dollar figure. Informational only - not financial advice. See our disclaimer.
Program description
Solar Massachusetts Renewable Target (SMART) provides long-term production incentives.
Program at a glance
- Program type
- Performance incentive
- Eligible customers
- Residential
- Stated benefit
- $0.05-$0.30/kWh for 10 years
- State electricity rate
- 27.5¢/kWh
- Massachusetts solar score
- 41/100
Solar's trajectory in Massachusetts
The market this incentive operates in: total installed solar capacity in Massachusetts reported to the EIA.
Massachusetts's solar incentive stack
How this performance incentive sits among Massachusetts's 4 tracked programs, by type
- Tax exemption
Tax exemption
1 programs
- Net metering
Net metering
1 programs
- Performance
Performance
1 programs
- Rebate
Rebate
1 programs
What this shows Massachusetts tracks 4 incentive types, 1 of them performance-based like this one -- paid on actual output rather than a one-time credit, stacking with the state's other program types.
How this performance incentive layers inside Massachusetts's deep stack
The Massachusetts SMART Program pays based on actual measured generation rather than a one-time credit, one of Massachusetts's DSIRE-tracked solar incentive programs. Eligibility is scoped to residential customers, with a stated benefit of $0.05-$0.30/kWh for 10 years. DSIRE lists no scheduled sunset, though enabling legislation and appropriations can still be revised year to year.
That's the backdrop this incentive works against. Massachusetts averages 4.2 kWh/m²/day of usable sunlight and residential rates of 27.5¢/kWh, producing an estimated 7,358 kWh/year and $2,023 of annual utility offset on a typical 6 kW system costing $18,600. That baseline already implies a 9.2-year simple payback and a 25-year modeled net of roughly $31,975 before this incentive - every dollar this performance incentive delivers compresses that payback further.
Massachusetts bundles a deep incentive stack, so this program rarely stands alone. Massachusetts has 5 solar incentive programs indexed in DSIRE, including adjacent options like MA Solar Energy Property Tax Exemption, MA Net Metering, Commonwealth Solar Rebate. The state's net-metering policy is classified as full, which governs how excess generation is credited and often decides whether a given program is worth claiming for a specific household.
Other Massachusetts incentives
Frequently asked questions
Where does the Massachusetts SMART Program sit in Massachusetts's deep program stack?
How does this performance incentive work beside Massachusetts's other programs?
Who qualifies, and what does a late in-state directory place mean?
How does this incentive affect solar ROI in Massachusetts?
Which other Massachusetts programs stack with this one?
Incentive data from the DSIRE (Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency); state solar economics from NREL and the U.S. EIA. See our methodology · Massachusetts solar data · ROI calculator · All incentives.